Original text

The Fuchuan is exhausted but the valley is empty ①, the hills are flat but the abyss is solid ②. If the saint is dead, the big robber will not be able to survive, and the world will be peaceful for no reason③. As long as the saint does not die, thieves will not stop. Even if one values ??the saints and governs the world (4), this means focusing on profit and robbing the emperor (5). If you fight dendrobium for it and measure it ⑥, then steal it together with the dendrobium; if you weigh it and call it ⑦, then combine it with the weighing and steal it; for talisman seal if you believe it ⑧, then steal it together with the talisman seal ; To correct it for the sake of benevolence and righteousness ⑨, then combine it with benevolence and righteousness and steal it. How do you know it is evil? Those who steal hooks will be punished. Those who steal the country are princes. In the gates of princes, benevolence and righteousness exist. Is this not a sage who steals benevolence and righteousness and knows evil? Therefore, he chases the big thieves, exposes the princes, steals benevolence and righteousness, and weighs the benefits of the talisman and seal by fighting with Dendrobium (11). Although there is a reward of Xuan Mian, it cannot be persuaded (12), and the power of ax and ax cannot be restrained. (13). It is the fault of the sage to attach great importance to profit and steal the plant. Therefore, it is said: Fish cannot be escaped from the abyss, and the sharp weapons of the country cannot be shown to others (14). That saint is the sharpest weapon in the world, not the world's sharpest weapon (15).

Therefore, if you abandon the sage and know, the thieves will stop; if the jade destroys the pearl (16), the thieves will not be able to afford it; if you burn the talisman and break the seal, the people will be humble (17); if you fight and break the balance (18) , but the people will not fight; destroy the sacred law of the world (19), and the people will be able to discuss it. Promote the six laws of chaos (20), use the harp (21), stop the ears of Gu Kuang (22), and the founder of the world has his wisdom (23); destroy the article (24), scatter the five talents (25), The glue is separated from Zhu's eyes, but the founder of the world still has his understanding. Destroy the hook and rope, abandon the rules, and block the fingers (26), but the first man in the world had his own cleverness (27). Therefore, it is said: Great skill is like clumsiness. The journey of cutting off Zeng's history, clamping Yang Mo's mouth, discarding benevolence and righteousness (28), and the virtues of the world have begun to be the same (29). If a person embodies his wisdom, the world will not be confused; if a person embodies his wisdom, the world will not be tired (30); if a person embodies his knowledge, the world will not be confused; if a person embodies his virtue, the world will not be confused. Zeng, Shi, Yang, Mo, Shikuang, Gong, and Li Zhu all established their virtues externally (31), but they used ~ to disrupt the world (32), and the law was of no use (33).

Comments

①Exhausted: dried up. Void: empty.

②Raze: level. Yuan: deep pool. Real: full.

③So: accident, change.

④Chong (zhòng) saint: Make the saint's method valued.

⑤Heavy Profits and Robbery of the Plant: Make the Robber of the Plant gain huge profits.

⑥Douhu (hú): two ancient measuring instruments, one dendrobium is ten buckets. The two words "zhi" in this sentence have different meanings. The former refers to the people in the world, and the latter refers to the things measured by Dendrobium.

⑦ Quan: Hammer. Weigh: scale rod.

⑧ Fu Xi (xǐ): a token used as a voucher in ancient times. The "talisman" is composed of two halves, which are put together to verify the authenticity; the "xi" is the seal. Letter: get the letter.

⑨ Correction: Correction.

⑩Hook: The word "hook" originally refers to a belt hook. It generally refers to various small and worthless things. Zhu: punish, kill.

(11) Zhu: compete, follow. Jie: lift; "Jie the princes" means to occupy the high position of the princes.

(12) Xuan: A car used by people above the ancient doctor level. Mian: a hat worn by ancient officials or princes. "Xuanmian" is used together, here it refers to high-ranking officials with high salaries. Advise: encourage, encourage.

(13) Yue (yuè): big axe. "Axe" and "yue" are both commonly used as instruments of torture, and here they refer to execution.

(14) Show: reveal.

(15) Ming: Show, make people understand the meaning.

(16)`(zhì): Throw.

(17)Pu: Honest and simple. Despicable: Crude and ignorant.

(18)掊(pǒu): break, smash.

(19)殚(dān): exhausted. Disabled: destroyed.

(20)梢(zhuó): pull out.

(21)鄄(shuò): Destroy. Jue: break. Yuse: The names of two ancient musical instruments, here generally refers to musical instruments.

(22) Gu Kuang: Shi Kuang. Because he was blind, he was also called "Gu Kuang".

(23) Including: preservation.

(24)Article: Wencai, pattern.

(25) Five colors: namely five colors.

(26)(lì): Broken. Gong (chuí): a legendary skilled craftsman.

(27) Have: keep. The word "you" here is probably a mistake of the word "han".

(28) Push away, exclude.

(29)Xuan: black, dark; "Xuantong" means confusion.

(30) Tired: Worry.

(31) External standing: To establish on the outside, that is, to show off to others.

(32)~(yuè): Show off. "~LUAN" means confusion.

(33) Dharma: This refers to the Dharma of sage wisdom. When it comes to "Dharma", it means "the great road".

Translation

The valleys with dried up streams look particularly empty, and the flattened hills and deep pools look particularly substantial. If the saint dies, then the robbers will not rise again, and the world will be peaceful without any changes. As long as the saint does not die, the thieves will not stop. Even if the entire society uses saints to govern the world, this will also be the greatest benefit for Tao Zhi. If you give the people of the world dou and dendrobium to measure the weight of things, then the dou and the dendrobium are stolen together with them; if you give the people of the world a scale hammer and a scale beam to measure the weight of things, then the scale hammer and scale beam are stolen together. If the people of the world make talismans and seals to win people's trust, they will be stolen together with the talisman and seals; if they make benevolence and righteousness for the world to regulate people's morality and behavior, then they will be stolen together with benevolence and righteousness. How do we know this? Those who steal small things like belt loops and hooks are punished and killed, but those who steal the entire country become princes; only in the gates of princes can there exist benevolence and righteousness. Isn't this theft of benevolence, righteousness, and sage wisdom? Therefore, those who follow the thieves, occupy the position of princes, and steal benevolence, righteousness, and the benefits of fighting trees, scales, and seals cannot be encouraged even if they are rewarded by high officials and generous salaries. , even with the majesty of execution and killing, it is impossible to prohibit it. These circumstances which greatly facilitate the bandits but fail to prohibit them are all the fault of the saints. Therefore, it is said that fish cannot escape from the deep pool, and sharp tools for governing the country cannot be shown to others casually. Those so-called saints are sharp tools for governing the world and cannot be used to express the world.

Therefore, if the saint abandons his wisdom, the big thieves will stop; if he throws away jade and destroys jewelry, the small thieves will disappear; if he burns the talisman and destroys the seal, the people will be simple and honest; if he breaks the dendrobium and breaks it, By weighing the beams, the people will have no fights; by destroying the methods of the saints in the world, the people can talk about right and wrong and right and wrong. Only by disrupting the six rhythms, breaking all kinds of musical instruments, and blocking Shi Kuang's ears can the people of the world preserve their original hearing; by eliminating the patterns, scattering the five colors, and blocking Li Zhu's eyes can the people of the world preserve their original vision. ; Destroy hooks and ink lines, throw away compasses and squares, and break workers' fingers, so that people in the world can retain their original wisdom. Therefore, it is said: "The greatest wisdom is like clumsiness." Eliminate the loyalty and filial piety of Zeng Shen and Shi, clamp down the eloquent mouths of Yang Zhu and Mo Zhai, and abandon benevolence and righteousness. Only then can the virtues of all people in the world be unified. If everyone retains the original vision, then there will be no destruction in the world; if everyone retains the original hearing, then there will be no worries in the world; if everyone retains the original wisdom, then there will be no confusion in the world; If people retain their original nature, then there will be no evil in the world. Zeng Shen, Shi Yang, Yang Zhu, Mo Zhai, Shi Kuang, Gong and Li Zhu all showed off their virtues and used them to confuse the people in the world. This is why the method of holy governance is useless.